Lost in Words: Framing Effects on Public Willingness to Fight

Abstract Mobilizing citizens for defense is crucial in international conflicts, as demonstrated by recent events such as the Russia–Ukraine War in 2022. These conflicts highlight the critical importance of citizens’ willingness to fight. However, existing research, including that using the standard question in the World Values Survey (WVS), often overlooks a significant framing issue in measuring this willingness. This study addresses these gaps through theoretical and methodological perspectives. We argue that the way survey questions are framed can significantly influence responses. In particular, a value frame suggesting patriotism would increase willingness to fight, while a cost frame implying war-related costs would decrease it. Through conducting experimental surveys with varied wording on willingness to fight in Taiwan in 2024, we assess the impact of these different frames embedded in question wordings on responses to willingness to fight between two distinct groups: civilians and military recruits. We also measure the extent of social desirability bias that the value frame may induce. We have two major findings. First, the value frame would induce more willingness to fight while the cost frame dampens it. Second, military recruits display a lower willingness to fight compared to civilians, likely due to their greater awareness of the costs associated with war. This study emphasizes the need for carefully designed surveys and suggests alternative strategies of political communication to enhance the public willingness to fight among various groups, ensuring more accurate assessments of national defense preparedness.